
k'hicli stands at the entrance to 
FT TAPI I AN the maiestic rocK. j.oKnj n. ■■■ !.».■»"'. -i""*-" ="» , >» j ^ 
YosemH^ValW on the Coulterville road for automobiles pass.ng through Modesto. 






MODESTO 

TKe Automotile Gateway to Yosemite 



Xne county seat of Sunny Stanislaus. 

Pioneer in irrigation. 

A. modern city or a new type. 

An agricultural city. 

A nome city. 

COME TO MODESTO 



Designed and Published by 

MODESTO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 



Press of 

Bolte ^ Braden Co 

San Francisco 



n/3 




Like a New England 
Landscape. 



MAN I volumes of promotion literature are going 
Droadcast to induce tne nomeseeker to settle in Cali- 
tornia, ana the promises made can be realized in most 
instances ir tne reader ^viU look upon farming as a business 
•wnicn requires brains, enthusiasm, persistency and patience. 
Though tne fields may be tilled twelve months in the year, and 
crops rotate -with tbe seasons ^vhen water is turned from the 
artificial rivers, no bank accounts or credit will accrue to the 
sniftless or untbrifty. Nor will success come to him who 
waits upon tbe climate of tbe Golden State, despite its w^onder- 
ful reputation. Man sball work in California as be labors 
m any otber quarter of tbe globe and tbe proposition in the 
Modesto District becomes simple and clear Avben he reasons as 
Tollo-ws: "I can grow an ear of corn, a potato, a melon, a 
pumpkin or a peacb; I can raise a bog or a calf; as bountifully 
or as large as I have produced and can sell for as much as 1 
bave realized in middle-^vestern or eastern markets. 1 here- 
fore I am on even terms. If any increment obtains by reason 
of mild and bealtbful climate, longer growing seasons, closer 
and better markets, and increased value to the lands as people 
settle upon tbem, I sball be abead in tbis district. 




|jjiM^»~. M# lj > ll ilHI I.- ^.^ l l i— p lll ' {iJS l " 



'tl* 




i)M| r4 r*» f4 v**- '^ H*' 







I^PI^ 



Thousands of acre 
feet course across 
the district. 




Attte 
liea(l"%vaterb of 
the Tuolumne. 



Tke facts set forth in this booklet will convince the reader 
that the increment does ohtain and in such degree that the Mo- 
desto District has heen listed among the tried and proven dis- 
tricts of California for more than ten years. Its history is a 
record of achievement and not a promise, a rapid rise but not 
in any sense a boom. 





Early history on the Stanisla 




*-**.»i*BVfc-«„j,' "-^.^iim 



.:¥t 



A forty-foot river. 




Until 1903 
every precious 
drop ran to 
waste. 




r 



On the San Joaquin in 
the heyday of King 
Wheat. 



All tke counties of tlie great San Joaquin Valley, witk its 
7,000,000 acres of tillable Ian J, kave mountainous areas, tkeir 
easternmost boundaries lying well up in tke Sierra Nevadas, tlie 
Alps of America, and their western edges serrated in tLe Coast 
Range, tke barrier to the great Pacific ocean, source of rains 
and soothing w^mds. 

Stanislaus, however, is nearest the open sea since this sunny 
county is east of the gap in the Coast Range at Suisun Bay 
and the Livermore Pass. The elevation at Modesto is 92 
feet, the lowest of any other city save one in the great valley, 
and yet it is scarcely twenty miles to tidewater. 

A mere inspection of the geography of the San Joaquin 
Valley reveals the factors of superior climatic conditions in 
Modesto. The prevailing trade winds blow over the Pacific 
from the northwest. Seeking the inland through the natural 
gaps opening off San Francisco Bay, these winds continue 
southeastward until swerved southward by the Sierras. Thus, 
they blow first over Stanislaus. In midsummer, one notices 
the cool essence of the sea. Nights are often too cool for the 
auto without extra wraps. Theatre goers wear top coats home. 
Some days in summer register above one hundred degrees for a 
few hours in the afternoon. The heat is dry— fine ripening 
weather for fruits and greenswards of alfalfa. Man and beast 
work at top speed every day. The sun exhilarates and the 
dews refresh. The sleeping porch is an invitation to the sea 
breeze at night. Health follows the zephyrs. 



The Almond blooms in 
February and gives tbe 
bee an early start. 




Ttie Franquette 
Walnut. 




Alfalfa everjrwhere but 
hardly a sprig to bale. 



The hign Sierras serrate tlie sky witli a line of sno^v all 
summer long. Tne auto can reach leaping brooks, rernea can- 
yons and ragged peaks in a lew hours rrom Modesto. Hetch 
rletchy and i osemite are not far a-way. The bronzed, bare 
sides of the Coast Range dra^sv near on a clear morning and in- 
vite to a deer hunt upon the preserves of the Modesto sportsmen. 

One does not live m a flat country, save for level land 
upon Avhich to till 20 and 40 acre farms sufficient to 
make this a -wealthy region. The rivers are less 
than six miles apart and course their -vvay to the 
sea in little tortuous, wooded valleys of their 
own. Such landscapes provide settings for 
homes as beautiful as those one may leave 
behind when he seeks a new environ- 
ment in v^'hich to rear a family. i' 

Environment— that is 

the why of Modestos 
charm. If natural con- 










A new kind of baggage. 




^ 




s^s^sss 




-iy**-, 



From the alfalfa pasture at close of da 



ditions are a part or environment, tnen Joes not the geograpny 
or Modesto appeal ? If climate is a necessary element or envir- 
onment, tnen the healthrulness or Modesto is proven. It tne 
soil and its essential element, "svater, are factors of environ- 
ment, (ana irrigation engineers say that tne sou types of tne 
Modesto District are best adapted to tne application of water 
— as typical sandy loams are in any region) then wnat more 
can one desire m his trwenty acre farm ? 
Finally, if the people are neighoors, — in- 
telligent, refined, social co- laborers, 
■whose children are of nign class Ameri- 
can type, then is not the social environ- 
ment an invitation equal with that of 
the soil ? 

Study tne geography of 
California, a domain -with a -m- —^ ■ 

coast line reaching as far 







'm^^ 



- -an 



f^ 









^) V.,.,"; Garden. 




A village of alfalfa and 
type of inhabitant. 



as from New York to Florida, and encompassing tke areas of 
Massackusetts, Delaware, Maine, New Jersey, Connecticut, 
New York, Vermont, New Hampskire, and Okio, witk 1,072 
square miles to spare, and you -will realize tke ckarm or 
Modesto's geograpky. Live in w^inter and summer in tke out- 
door and test in tke sleeping porck tke climate of tkis region. 
Peruse facts regarding tke growtk of tkis district in crops and 
w^ealtk, and tke supply of water -wkick courses to tke sea in 
artificial rivers, forty feet -wide, and tke next proposition is 
settled. Wken one recalls tkat tke era of $125 land, tke min- 
imum one may expect to pay for first class land witk water m 
California, kas disappeared in tke Modesto District, and kome 
kuilding values kave become well estaklisked, ke realizes tkat 
tkis condition is an index to tke ckaracter of tke people wko 
settle upon tke lands. Skould ke visit tke community and note 
tke keautiful komes and small farms, tke easterners and middle- 
westerners wko kave "started" on $2,000 or less, tke final query 
13 settled. 

Just a little kistory to indicate kow tke producing power 
of soil can ke multiplied ky tke ingenuity of man, kow wealtk 
can ke created in lands by tke conservation of moisture. 1 ke 
grasp of tkis fundamental of economy kas created Modesto and 
tke ckarms wkick ker citizens would impress upon tke -world. 




8»/». 




The milk can is imglitier than the 
bin in the Modesto district. 



It is not all 'work in 

the Modesto district. 




Ten years ago, tke Modesto District was practically one 
wkeat field of 82000 acres. Tke tourist looked from a car 
■window upon tke combined barvesters, great caravans moving 
in all directions, dropping in regular rows sacks of golden grain 
and piles of glistening straw. Grain laden wagons, coupled 
togetker and drawn by long teams raised frequent clouds or dust 
from tbe bigbways. Tbe Federal census ranked Stanislaus as 
one of tbe leading grain producing sections of California in tbe 
keyday of cereals. Farmers boasted of rancbes exceeding 1000 
acres in extent. 

Tbe soil finally rebelled against tbe lazy practices of tbe 
farmer. Humus refused to lie in tbe top soils. Nitrogen 
would not penetrate beneatb tbe plow pan and tbe yield of 
grain did not always meet tbe expenses of "big farming. 

An inspiration came to tbe forefatbers of irrigation in tbis 
district wben tbey realized tbat tbousands upon tbousands of 
miners' incbes of water ran yearly to waste and deposited tbeir 
fertilizing silts in Suisun Bay. "Let us pour tbis water upon 
tbese lands," tbey said. 

And wben one recalls bow tbe Federal Government 
carries irrigating water in cement-lined canals in Arizona, 
Nevada, and portions of California, and witb wbat care every 
precious drop is preserved, be cannot but realize tbat a tre- 
mendous economic calamity was enacted in Stanislaus wben 
sucb an abundance of water, needing only a dam to turn it 
from its course, ran to waste. 





' < 'V nt, k^ 'J -i- f> i*^. 



.J!l%*-*^" * 



S-* 




Grange Darn. tKe why of 
jdesto and lier wealth. 






An invitation 
to the stranger. 



A beneiliction 
to ker people. 



Tne forefathers of tne irrigation scneme, succeeded, after 
tnirteen years of litigation, in turning tnis -water into the lat- 
erals and ditches, and a new pulse awakened m the impoverished 
grain lands. The La Grange dam w^as completed in 1893 at a cost 
of $543,164, but water -was not turned into the district until 
1903. In that year, one rode through no alfalfa fields, orchards, 
melon or berry patches, nor admired any thoroughbred dairy 
cows capable of yielding from $80 to $120 each year in butter- 
fat. Farms -were defined in terms of mile and half mile dimen- 
sions and clumps of trees indicated farm houses often more than 
a mile apart. 

In 1903, but 885 owners paid taxes in the Modesto Dis- 
trict. In 1912, the tax roll had increased to 2532, a gam m 
nine years of 186 per cent, and 1375 or the total assessments 
are within the city limits of Modesto. 

In the same year, 39,777 acres of the total, 81,183 acres in 
the district, less than one-half received energy and fertilization 
from gravity water. 1 he products watered are as follo-ws: 



Alfalfa 

Trees 

Vines 

Beans 

Corn 

Garden 

Grain 



Total 



34,383 acres 

2,703 " 

1,550 " 

106 " 

307 " 

219 " 

509 " 

39,777 " 




The McHenry Library, a $25,000 structure. 

Note tne number or acres or alralra in tne total acreage, 
vjooa alralra land, i. e. land that can nourish the legume seven 
years "without replanting is first class land ror all other crops 
planted, climate conditions heing seasonable, says the Calirornia 
farmer. Stanislaus land must he good alfalfa land when official 
reports indicate that this county yields one-tenth the total 
acreage produced m the Golden State. The Modesto District 
IS adapted to the culture of this famous legume, else why should 
the yield increase 111 per cent in three years -when the increase 
in the state, according to the Federal census, -w^as hut eight per 
cent in the same time ? Furthermore, if Stanislaus County 
ranks first in hutterfat in 1912, -with 6,894,225 pounds, one- 
tenth the total production in the state, and one-sixth the 3'ield 
in irrigated sections of California, is there not a superior com- 
bination of fodder and good co-w^s ? 

Since Modesto, a city of but 6300, shipped every day dur- 
ing 1912 $3060.75 worth of sweet butter to a metropolitan 
market only four hours away, besides a special baggage car of 
cream and poultry products, is it not to marvel that such a con- 
tiguous body of superior soil is located so favorable for products 
and markets ? 

The following table shows how one may estimate the -wealth of the 
district, if current yields and prices for 1912 are accepted : 
34,383 acres Alfalfa, 8 tons per acre, protein v 

Orchard, 7 tons per acre. 

Vineyard, 8 tons per acre. 

Beans, 15 sacks per acre. 

Corn, 1 ton per acre 

Garden, 15 ton per acre. 

Grain, 12 centals per acre. 



2,703 
1,550 
106 
307 
219 
509 
.39^77 



at 


17.50 


$4,813,620 


at 


25.00 


473,025 


at 


10.00 


124,000 


at 


3.50 


5,565 


at 


30.00 


9,210 


at 


6.00 


19,710 


at 


1.75 


10,724 
$5,455,854 



Modesto churches are 
busy on the Lord's day. 




First Methodist Church 




TKe Cressey Building, type of Modesto business block. 



Ine average value per acr^ of all proaucts groAyn is $137.16 
— a conservative estimate. 

A remarkable dispensation or Providence Avnen $1.25 
wortn or water will gross to each or the irrigated acres -within 
the district $137.16! 

Under such a dispensation, what is an acre or Modesto 
land -worth ? Solve the rollo-w-ing problem: 

PROBLEM: Given one acre or land that -will produce at a 
nominal cost — as in the growing or alralra, $137.16, capitalize 
this return as one capitalizes the returns from factories, from stocks 
and bonds, or the rents from houses or public buildings to deter- 
mine their -worth, and -what is an acre of Modesto land -worth? 

ANSWER: $137.16 capitalized at 6 per cent, say, amounts 



BUILDINGS — To keep pace with the increase in population, 
Modesto homes and business blocks rise each month. During 1911, 
a large auditorium, bank, jail, business block and a large number 
of fine homes were comoleted. In 1912 were erected a beautiful 
theater for drama and opera and a number of new office and store 
buildings. Excavations were made for two new hotels. Early in 
1913, ground was broken for a beautiful home for the Elks, inspec- 
tion made by the Federal government for a site on which to erect a 
post office building. The increase of $1,405,680 in the assess- 
ment roll of 1912, over that of 1911, is an index to the marvelous 
increase in buildings, business blocks and homes. For every 
dollar of valuation in the city's assessment roll, there is 81^ •[ cents 
on deoosit in the Modesto banks — a remarkable demonstration of 
wealth. 



mmmmmi^-i 






0. 

Under mild sicies in sun 




V' 


"^^^ • 








4 


.^. 




'i 



Stanisl 



anislaus. 



to $2286. If one figures tkat it costs one-half the gross income 
to take crops from the lana (and no Caliiornia farmer in an 
irrigated area avuI admit so heavy a cost) then is an acre 
worth $1143.00. 

QUERY: Is it not to -wonder that one can purchase an 
acre of such land at from $125 to $200 per acre, one-fourth 
cash and the crops to pay the remainder ? 

In 1912, the assessment roll reveals the numher and acreage 
or the intensive farms in the district as follows: 



Acres 



10 15 20 25 30 40 50 60 80 100 120 160 180 over 



Number 86 164 159 61 269 42 85 205 46 67 90 33 28 52 95 

The thousands of acres of alfalfa, orchards, vineyards, 
melon, s^weet potato, hean and corn fields have yielded their 
■wealth under the moisture of a natural run off of melting snows 
in the high Sierras. A. reservoir of 30,000 acre feet has 
restrained but little of the abundant supply. 

The land owns the -w^ater forever. i he total bonded 
indebtedness to cover the costs of building the immense dam, the 
main canals and laterals to cover the 81,183 acres amounts to 
$1,606,462.25 or $19.78 per acre. Compare this debt w^ith 
that of any other district in the West, save one, -whether built 
by the Federal Government, under the co-operative plan, or by 
private individuals, and it is the cheapest in operation. 

There has not been a foreclosure of mortgage in the Mo- 
desto District since the -water was turned into the ditches. 

The total mean annual flow of the Tuolumne at the La 
Grange dam for a period of six years has been 2,130,000 acre 




Modesto a beautiful home city 



feet, enough water to pour trie maximum 
amount or ^vater necessary to cover 
473,333 acres. 1 ne comDinea acre- 
age or tne Moaesto- 1 urlock 
districts is 257,393, only 54 
per cent or tne number upon 
■wnicn it IS possible to pour the 
maximum amount ox irrigation. It 
IS to marvel that Nature lay so 
iruittul an area at the base or 
so tremendous a watershed. 
And it IS a fortuitous '^BliL 

incident that Mo- 
desto, a pretty 
city should 





Farm life is not a return to drudgery 



have been set in tke center of tkis great garden, a storekouse and 
a snipping point for tne crops from root, vine, and tree. 

Tne coursing of silt laden water tkrough tte anaemic 
lands on tne advent of irrigation brouglit a new pulse to a city 
tnat like all cities for many years tbe centers of grain grooving 
areas Lad been at its bigbest development. In fact, tbe decline 
of tbe cereal producing bumus in tbe soil followed tbe decline in 
tbe energy and entbusiasm of ber people. ^Vater and optimism 
go band in band and tbe same energy tbat turns wbeat farms 
into fruitful gardens builds bomes and business buildings in tbe 
city. 

Modesto followed tbe agricultural rise of its environs and 
so IS like tbe bouse built upon a rock, in an economic sense. 
Instead of lines of workers to factories or sbops, one sees tbe 
streets filled daily witb automobiles and vebicles. Tbe market 
basket witb its excbange value, is more potent in tbe trade of tbe 
city tban is tbe full dinner pail, and less sensitive to fluctuation 
of wages, to increase or decrease of output. 

bince cream cbecks deposited every two weeks in tbe banks 
add to tbe credit of eacb depositor; one may draw cbecks often. 

Modesto does most of its business on a casb basis and boasts 
tbat no city in tbe state of tbe same population does more. 



Modesto has more than nine miles of paved streets, the greater 
number of blocks fringed with shade trees and strips of lawn. All 
sidewalks are of cement, the homes are set in gardens. A. new and 
complete municipal water system is adequate for the needs of a 
population seven times as large as that of Modesto today. The 
sewer system has been enlarged to cover an area greater than the 
present city limit. The sewage is piped into huge antiseptic tanks 
far removed from the city. A modern fire department and police 
guard property and safety. 




Dry Creek a picturesque 
stream at the city gates. 



It IS scarcely a naif mile from the business center to tne 
Tuolumne river Driage, and tnougn tne river is practically closed 
to navigation, steamers can tie at tnis briage seven months m each 
year. The ruins of the Ola Paradise mills which ground flour 
for twenty-five years in olden days, mark the former shipping 
point on this river. 

The former navigability of the Tuolumne established early 
in the district s history a terminal rate with but a slight increase. 
Modesto IS charged but seven cents per ton m excess today. 




A city so favorably situated, witn the favors of steam and 
electric roads, good liigk-ways, and direct communication witn 
tke sea is looked upon as a favorable site for manufactures. J3ut 
tkis beautiful city is of a new type, — an agricultural city, as 
sound commercially as any otber municipality in the world. 

Since tbe development is of tbe community rather than the 
city, tbe ideals of tbe citizens are expressed ratber m tbe build- 
ing of a home city ■svitb tbose cbarms wbicb attract tbe lover of 
bome. Modesto bas no submerged tentb, no section in wbich 
tbe poor or improvident live. Tbere is no quarter given to the 
laboring class -wbicb most cities deem necessary to a live 
town. Nor is it a city of capitalists, for tbe man of money is 
tbe retired farmer or tbe intensive farmer who has sufficient 
means to purcbase a bome besides bis tw^enty or forty acres. 



In May of each year, the Annual Musical Festival is held in 
Modesto. This festival is the only event of its kind in California. 
Artists are imported and with a large chorus of Stanislaus county 
singers render a two day festival of song. These concerts are sim- 
ilar to the famous New England festivals and have established 
Modesto a musical center in Central California. Beautiful churches, 
modern schools and aesthetic culture are quite as potent factors 
in the marvelous gain in population of more than 215 per cent in 
Modesto in eight years as the irrigating water which transformed 
the district into a garden. 




An environment that makes good citizens. 

The Danks have on deposit more tKan tnree million aollars sud- 
ject to cneck and in savings accounts, an indication or tke gen- 
eral prosperity or this district. 

Xne scnool gardens bloom in summer as well as in winter, 
ine Mission-style, cement, scnool Duildings are constructed on 
the most approved plans and are rurnislied witK modern 
educational equipment tor all grades or scnolars, including 
commercial courses and domestic science classes. 

Like Des Moines and Galveston, Modesto is governed by 
a commission. 1 nis is in keeping -witn the communal develop- 
ment or tne district, botn in irrigation and agriculture. 

Xbere are rorty-six acres or parks in tbe city, all under 
tne control or tne Women s Improvement Club. 

Xbe tax on improvements in tbe Modesto District, collected 
to assist in tbe expenses or irrigation '^vere voted orr in May, 
1911. ibis move not only distributed more justly tbe irriga- 
tion tax, but also invited outside capital to invest in income 
buildings. Xbe assessment roll in tbe city increased in 1912 to 
$3,834,395, a gam or $1,405,680 in one year. Xbe tax rate is 
$1.85 and 1375 taxpayers pay it. 




Palms in a residence street. 



bix passenger trains pass tnrougn Modesto to San Fran- 
cisco eacn day; returning, these trains continue to San Joaquin 
V alley points and to Los Angeles. Tke Modesto Interurtan 
connects at Ednpire, rive miles a^vay, with all local and trans- 
continental trains or the Santa Fe. This gives direct connection 
with the gold producing region or Central Calirornia rrom 
which almost eight hundred millions or gold have heen taken 
since the days or 49. 

The Tidewater Q? Southern Electric road runs frequent 
cars to Stockton, and surveys already completed •will connect 
Modesto with all the important to-wns down the great San 
Joaquin valley. One may ride on an electric car rrom 
Modesto to Sacramento, the state capital, eighty miles away, 
and as far north as Chico m the northern Sacramento Valley, 
200 miles distant. 

The entire road from Sacramento to Modesto, is macadam- 
ized under bond issue and is as smooth as any city pavement. 
The ne-w State Highway passes southward through Modesto, 
and work has hegun toward the completion of a city street 
through the entire length of the valley. 

The Modesto and the Stanislaus creameries, tw^o sanitary 
plants, made three million pounds of sweet hutter during the 
year, or an average of 4,081 squares daily. Sold m the grocery 
stores of the San Francisco Bay cities, the market place of 
almost one-half the total population of California, at an average 
selling price of 75 cents per square, Modesto furnished $3060.75 
worth of hutter every day. 




The Tuolumne. It is scarcely a half-mile to the citys center. 



CITY OF MODESTO 



Assets and Liabilities— June 30th, 1912 



ASSETS 



Capital Assets. 










Treasurer's Bond Issue Funds 




94.225.38 






Fire Department 


4,206.66 








Street Intersection 


10,795.87 








Sewer Improvement 


1,592.80 








Water Improvement 


252. 17 








Water Improvements and Extension 


76,721.20 








McHenry Library 


656.68 








Real Estate 




3,050.00 






Buildings 




3.000 00 






Furniture and Fixtures 




1,795.77 






Police and Fire Department Equipment 




14,241 00 






Streets and Highwuys Equipment 




15,312.75 






McHenry Library Equipment 




28.990.11 






Water Department Equipment 




103,297.14 






Total Capital Assets 






263,912.15 




Operating Assets 










Revolving Fund-City Clerk 




50.00 






Current Funds— City Treasurer 




6,349 57 






Dues on Tax Sales 




922.99 






Interest Uncollected 




361 65 






Supplies 




300.00 






Total Operating Assets 






7,984.21 




Public Property Assets 










Streets, Curbs. Gutters. Sidewalks 




299,151,26 






Sewers. 21.08 Miles 




118,994.40 






Total Public Property Assets 






418,145.66 




Total Assets 








690,042 02 



LIABILITIES 

Capital Liabilities 
Funded Debt 270,000.00 

Bonds-Municipal Improvement 127.385.00 

Bonds-Water Improvement 30.865.00 

Bonds— Street Improvement 29,250.00 

Bonds- Water Extension 82,500.00 

Total Capital Liabilities 270,000.00 

Current Liabilities 
Interest Accrued on Bonds 3,456.61 

Total Current Liabilities 

Total Liabilities 

Surplus Assets Over Liabilities 



273,456.61 
416,585.41 




, ^-^^^"J^"- 









/t%^ \^ 









^ - ^m>:. 



. \ 






"^^ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

nill! Illil MJii Hill IISI! Ill's '"" "" > I'll! mil nil nil 




